Method and system for automated generation of a roof joist 2d drawings from a 3d model

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a computer method for generating a set of assembly illustrations, comprising: accessing a model frame wherein the model frame includes at least one roof joist assembly; analyzing the roof joist assembly, wherein a set of members are identified which comprise the roof joist; accessing the set of members and individually analyzing each members properties and coordinates and relationship to all interfacing members; transitioning the model frame roof joist from a first state to a second state, wherein an analysis is performed on the conversion based on the order and process of the transition data; and analyzing the transition data for member interfacing, and processing the transition data relative to the member interfacing to identify an assembly process for the roof joist; and generating to be displayed on a display module, a set of drawings which represent the assembly process of the roof joist.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part (and claims the benefit ofpriority under 35 USC 120) of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/714,702 filedDec. 14, 2019. The disclosure of the prior applications is consideredpart of (and is incorporated by reference in) the disclosure of thisapplication.

BACKGROUND

This Disclosure relates generally to building construction and inparticular, to the method, computer program, or computer system forproviding the assembly drawings for the walls, roofs, and floors.

Building construction is a complicated process in which the step ofassembling the framing members is time consuming activity. In preengineering building construction, where the members for the assemblyare pre-engineered and premanufactured, the pre-assembly of the memberstogether to form the joist is critical.

Traditional method of assembly of the building floors in which themember placement, fasteners requirement has to be determined from thedrawings is time consuming and increases the chances for errors. Theretends to be more wasted material, fasteners, and time when the joistshave to be assembled on site as the workers usually do not have accessto the drawings and are working from experience.

During the building construction process, the majority of the time isconsumed on the assembly of the frame. Sometimes the workers in thefactory assembling the frame are typically not skilled labor. For anunskilled worker to read and assemble the members together can be atime-consuming activity and delay the overall construction process.Typically, these workers need to either have the entire processmeticulously explained to them, or they have to be walked through theprocess for each roof joist.

It is desired to have a system or method to generate drawings for thebuilding frame, that permit even unskilled laborers to easily andquickly put the frame together with little to no errors. The creation ofa set of drawings that are specific to the building, clearing identifyeach roof joist, and the order to install each member would provide asubstantial advantage over the current methods which are used togenerate drawings for the assembly of buildings and structures

SUMMARY

In a first embodiment the present invention is a computer method forgenerating a set of assembly illustrations for roof trusses, comprising:accessing, by at least one processor, a model wherein the model frameincludes at least one roof truss assembly, wherein the at least one rooftruss assembly is isolated; analyzing, by at least one processor, theroof truss assembly, wherein a set of members are identified whichcomprise the roof truss; accessing, by at least one processor, the setof members and individually analyzing each member and coordinates andrelationship to all interfacing members; transitioning, by at least oneprocessor, the roof truss assembly from an assembled version to adisassembled state; analyzing, by at least one processor, the transitionof the roof truss assembly to identify a set of steps from thetransition; analyzing, by at least one processor, the set of steps tomanipulate the roof truss assembly from the assembled version to thedisassembled state, wherein an assembly process is generated; andgenerating, by at least one processor, a images to be displayed on adisplay module representing the generated assembly process.

In a second embodiment the present invention is a computer programproduct for generating a set of assembly illustrations for roof trusses,comprising: one or more computer non-transitory readable storage mediaand program instructions stored on the one or more computernon-transitory readable storage media, the program instructionscomprising: program instructions to access a model wherein the modelframe includes at least one roof truss assembly, wherein the at leastone roof truss assembly is isolated; program instructions to analyze theroof truss assembly, wherein a set of members are identified whichcomprise the roof truss; program instructions to access the set ofmembers and individually analyzing each member and coordinates andrelationship to all interfacing members; program instructions totransition the roof truss assembly from an assembled version to adisassembled state; program instructions to analyze the transition ofthe roof truss assembly to identify a set of steps from the transition;program instructions to analyze the set of steps to manipulate the rooftruss assembly from the assembled version to the disassembled state,wherein an assembly process is generated; and program instructions togenerate a images to be displayed on a display module representing thegenerated assembly process.

In a third embodiment the present invention is a system for generating aset of assembly illustrations for roof trusses, comprising: one or morecomputer non-transitory readable storage media and program instructionsstored on the one or more computer non-transitory readable storagemedia, the program instructions comprising: program instructions toaccess a model wherein the model frame includes at least one roof trussassembly, wherein the at least one roof truss assembly is isolated;program instructions to analyze the roof truss assembly, wherein a setof members are identified which comprise the roof truss; programinstructions to access the set of members and individually analyzingeach member and coordinates and relationship to all interfacing members;program instructions to transition the roof truss assembly from anassembled version to a disassembled state; program instructions toanalyze the transition of the roof truss assembly to identify a set ofsteps from the transition; program instructions to analyze the set ofsteps to manipulate the roof truss assembly from the assembled versionto the disassembled state, wherein an assembly process is generated; andprogram instructions to generate an image to be displayed on a displaymodule representing the generated assembly process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers representcorresponding parts throughout:

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram depicting a computing environment, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram depicting the internal and externalcomponents of the server and computing device of FIG. 1, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present.

FIG. 3 depicts a cloud computing environment, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts a flowchart of the operational steps of generating a setof generating the illustration data and drawings within the computingenvironment of FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustration of a completed drawing of the roof joistassembly, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 depicts an assembled roof joist, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 depicts a disassembled roof joist, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention generally relates to a method for analyzing theroof joists of a building and determining how each roof joist isassembled. Then generating an illustration or a set of drawings thatexplain in detail the process to assemble each roof joist. Thedrawings/illustrations provide all the necessary information a workerwould need to construct each roof joist. This includes each and everydetail the worker would need, down to the number and type of screwsneeded, the specific placement of each member, and the order of assemblyso that the worker can easily and correctly assemble each roof joist.

The present invention provides the advantage over the prior art byincorporating the analyze of either 3D or 2D models or drawings, anddetermine the ideal construction method of the model or drawing based onthe construction method or the type of members which are used in theconstruction of the roof joist. The correct placement of each members isimportant as this affects the assembly process. Additionally, in theassembly process is sometimes, upwards of thousands of members, and manyof the members may visually appear identical but may be designed forspecific locations or placement. By placing the wrong member in thewrong position could results in a deficiency in the buildingconstruction and lead to serious problems or injuries. Equally asimportant is the fasteners or securing methods which are used to securethe members and in some instances the roof joists. Again, differentconnection points require different fasteners or securing means and theincorrect type of fastener or securing method could result indeficiencies in the structural integrity of the building.

For each roof joist the correct no. of fasteners, special fastenerrequirements at any particular junction has to be shown so the overestimation of material on site can be avoided and also any specialfastener requirement as per Engineering calculation at any particularjunction is correctly provided in the drawings.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowcharts may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions,which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing thespecified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, thefunctions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in thefigures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, beexecuted substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionalityinvolved. It will also be noted that each block of the flowchartillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the flowchartillustrations, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry outcombinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a computing environment 100 inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 providesan illustration of one embodiment and does not imply any limitationsregarding the environment in which different embodiments maybeimplemented.

In the depicted embodiment, computing environment 100 includes network102, computing device 104, and server 106. Computing environment 100 mayinclude additional servers, computers, or other devices not shown.

Network 102 may be a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN)such as the Internet, any combination thereof, or any combination ofconnections and protocols that can support communications betweencomputing device 104 and server 106 in accordance with embodiments ofthe invention. Network 102 may include wired, wireless, or fiber opticconnections.

Computing device 104 may be a management server, a web server, or anyother electronic device or computing system capable of processingprogram instructions and receiving and sending data. In otherembodiments, computing device 104 may be a laptop computer, tabletcomputer, netbook computer, personal computer (PC), a desktop computer,or any programmable electronic device capable of communicating withpatient computing device 104 via network 102. In other embodiments,computing device 104 may be a server computing system utilizing multiplecomputers as a server system, such as in a cloud computing environment.In one embodiment, computing device 104 represents a computing systemutilizing clustered computers and components to act as a single pool ofseamless resources. Computing device 104 may include components, asdepicted and described in further detail with respect to FIG. 1.

Server 106 may be a management server, a web server, or any otherelectronic device or computing system capable of processing programinstructions and receiving and sending data. In other embodiments server106 may be a laptop computer, tablet computer, netbook computer,personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, or any programmableelectronic device capable of communicating via network 102. In oneembodiment, server 106 may be a server computing system utilizingmultiple computers as a server system, such as in a cloud computingenvironment. In one embodiment, server 106 represents a computing systemutilizing clustered computers and components to act as a single pool ofseamless resources. In the depicted embodiment generation program 108anddatabase 110 are located on server 106. Server 106 may includecomponents, as depicted and described in further detail with respect toFIG. 1.

The generation program 108 has the unique feature of creating assemblydrawing for the roof joists (e.g. roof joists) which there are 3D modelscreated of The roof joists are reviewed for the assembly information.Several drawings or illustrations are generated showing the assembly,the features of the members, and necessary information for a worker tobe able to easily identify the member or the frame. Assembly drawingshows the information about the different elements of the roof joists.It also shows the sequence for arranging the members on the groundbefore assembly. Drawing that also show the necessary Bill of materialrequired for assembly of particular roof joist. The generation program108 is able to identify the model, analyze the members, extract themember information, and generate a plurality of illustrations ordrawings to provide necessary information for the workers.

In the depicted embodiment, generation program 108 utilizes network 102to access the computing device 104 and to communicate with database 110.In one embodiment, generation program 108 resides on computing device104. In other embodiments, generation program 108 may be located onanother server or computing device, provided generation program 108 hasaccess to database 110.

Database 110 may be a repository that may be written to and/or read bygeneration program 108. Information gathered from computing device 104and the 1-dimensional, 2-dimensional, and 3-dimensional drawings andmodels as well as the requirements so that the assembly drawing in oneembodiment, database 110 is a database management system (DBMS) used toallow the definition, creation, querying, update, and administration ofa database(s). In the depicted embodiment, database 110 resides oncomputing device 104. In other embodiments, database 110 resides onanother server, or another computing device, provided that database 110is accessible to generation program 108.

FIG. 2, a schematic of an example of a cloud computing node is shown.Cloud computing node 10 is only one example of a suitable cloudcomputing node and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to thescope of use or functionality of embodiments of the invention describedherein. Regardless, cloud computing node 10 is capable of beingimplemented and/or performing any of the functionality set forthhereinabove.

In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server 12, whichis operational with numerous other general purposes or special purposecomputing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-knowncomputing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may besuitable for use with computer system/server 12 include, but are notlimited to, personal computer systems, server computer systems, thinclients, thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmableconsumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframecomputer systems, and distributed cloud computing environments thatinclude any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general context ofcomputer system executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer system. Generally, program modules may includeroutines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and soon that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes. Computer system/server 12 may be practiced in distributed cloudcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be locatedin both local and remote computer system storage media including memorystorage devices.

FIG. 2, computer system/server 12 in cloud computing node 10 is shown inthe form of a general-purpose computing device. The components ofcomputer system/server 12 may include, but are not limited to, one ormore processors or processing units 16, a system memory 28, and a bus 18that couples various system components including system memory 28 toprocessor 16.

Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, anaccelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of avariety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation,such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnects (PCI) bus.

Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of computersystem readable media. Such media may be any available media that isaccessible by computer system/server 12, and it includes both volatileand non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.

System memory 28 can include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random-access memory (RAM) 30 and/or cachememory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 34 can be provided forreading from and writing to a nonremovable, non-volatile magnetic media(not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, amagnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable,non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical diskdrive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile opticaldisk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided.In such instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more datamedia interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g.,at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out thefunctions of embodiments of the invention.

Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program modules 42,may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not limitation, aswell as an operating system, one or more application programs, otherprogram modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one ormore application programs, other program modules, and program data orsome combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networkingenvironment. Program modules 42 generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.

Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or more externaldevices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 24, etc.;one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computersystem/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.)that enable computer system/server 12 to communicate with one or moreother computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output(I/O) interfaces 22. Still yet, computer system/server 12 cancommunicate with one or more networks such as a local area network(LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g.,the Internet) via network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20communicates with the other components of computer system/server 12 viabus 18. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardwareand/or software components could be used in conjunction with computersystem/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limited to microcode,device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays,RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

FIG. 3, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 is depicted. Asshown, cloud computing environment 50 comprises one or more cloudcomputing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used by cloudconsumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA) orcellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or additional computer systems may communicate. Nodes 10 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-C shownin FIG. 2 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring back to FIG. 2, the Program/utility 40 may include one or moreprogram modules 42 that generally carry out the functions and/ormethodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.Specifically, the program modules 42 may analyze a model of a building,analyze the roof joists of the frame, determine an assembly process ofthe roof joists, and create a set of illustrations which depict thepreferred assembly method of the roof joists. These illustrations depictthe assembly process, the specific location and position of each member,and the position of the fastener(s) and the type of fastener to use whenconstructing the roof joist. The program is able to identify anyconflicts and identify a potential solution to this conflict, so thatthe assembly process of the roof joists is without issues orcomplications. The unique feature of analyzing a model, determining theroof joist design and generating a drawing identifying the assemblyorder and process is advantageous to the construction industry tostreamline this process. Other functionalities of the program modules 42are described further herein such that the program modules 42 are notlimited to the functions described above. Moreover, it is noted thatsome of the modules 42 can be implemented within the infrastructureshown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 4 depicts flowchart 400 depicting a method according to the presentinvention. The method(s) and associated process(es) are now discussed,over the course of the following paragraphs, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. The program(s) described herein areidentified based upon the application for which they are implemented ina specific embodiment of the invention. However, it should beappreciated that any particular program nomenclature herein is usedmerely for convenience, and thus the invention should not be limited touse solely in any specific application identified and/or implied by suchnomenclature.

In step 402, the generation program 108analyzes the building frame. Theframe is comprised of a series of roof joists (e.g. roof, floor, andwall). The generation program 108 analyzes the different roof joisttypes and identifies and isolates the roof joists and to identify thedifferent members and member properties, specifically directed towardsthe roof joists specific features, aspects, and structural design. Thegeneration program 108 analyzes the roof joists to identify thedifferent members and member properties. The generation program 108, insome embodiments, is able to perform a conflict check on the members todetermine that the members are conflict free, that the roof joists areconflict free, and that the frame is conflict free. In the instancewhere a conflict is identified, the generation program 108 eitheridentifies the conflict and requests third party assistance or correctsthe conflict. The generation program 108 identifies and retrieves thecoordinates (X, Y, Z) of all the roof joists and members. The generationprogram 108 also analyzes the mating relationships (if present) of themembers.

In step 404, the generation program 108 identifies the constructionrequirements for the frame and the roof joist. The constructionrequirements are established by the building frame design, and themember positioning and location within the roof joists. The generationprogram 108 is able to extract the assembly process of the frame todetermine the order in which the frame is assembled and also the orderin which the roof joists are assembled. The generation program 108incorporates the fastening method, the frame material types, and themodifications which are required to be made to the members to properlycreate the roof joists and then the frame. Through the calculationsperformed by the generation program 108 on the frame and the roofjoists, the generation program 108 is able to generate a set of dataassociated with the assembly process of the roof joist, the order inwhich the members are secured together, and the fastening locations.

In step 406, the generation program 108 analyzes each member of the roofjoists. The generation program 108 analyzes each member to detect thefeatures of the member and the properties of the member. Through anextraction of the member data, the generation program 108 is able todetect a preferred assembly method based on an integration of the memberdata and a preferred assembly method. The generation program 108accesses a database of assembly methods for different roof joist types.In some embodiments, computer learning technology is able to analyzedifferent roof joist types and setups to formulate different assemblyprocesses. The generation program 108 may take the roof joist by eachmember and select an assembly process, then determine the fasteningpoints, and use this information in altering the assembly process. Theassembly process information and data are stored and accessible by thegeneration program 108. The generation program 108 is able to take intoaccount the location of the roof joist in relation to the rest of theframe to provide adequate fasteners and material properties. Thegeneration program 108 identifies and retrieves the coordinates (X, Y,Z) of all the roof joists and members.

In step 408, the generation program 108 generates the illustrations ofthe roof joists. As shown in FIG. 6 is an embodiment of a roof joist andthe illustration of an assembly process. The generation program 108 isable to take the roof joist data, the member data, and the analyzedassembly process, and create an image identifying the members, the orderof connecting the members, and the fastening locations. Thisillustration is specific to each roof joist design. The illustrationshows the members, the position of the members relative to the othermembers, the roof joist in a disassembled state, and additional relevantinformation to assist in the assembly process (e.g. fastener type andquantity). This may include a BOM, each member number and orientation,the fastener type and position, and the like. The orientation of themember is analyzed to determine if the member has one specificdirection. In some embodiments, dimensions are shown on theillustrations to provide reference points for the workers to confirmthat the members are correct. In other embodiments, the members havediffering markers to assist in identifying the member type, the overlapof the members, and which member is outside and which member is inside.In the depicted embodiments, the members are cold rolled “C” channels,these are designed and sized to fit within one another at the interfaceareas.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustration of an architectural drawing 500, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Theillustration has an assembled 501 and a disassembled 502 version of theroof joist. The drawing shows the overlapping portions of the members,the type of member (interior versus exterior) in terms of the assemblyprocess. A BOM 504 of the members and the fasteners or other requiredcomponents. The members are identified with a number which coincideswith the assembly process. In the depicted embodiment, the there arenotes on the fastener location, and dimensions to assist the worker inidentifying the correct members.

FIG. 6 depicts a drawing of an assembled roof joist, in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention. The present drawing depicts acold formed steel roof joist 600. The roof joist 600 is comprised ofmembers 601-605. The image depicts all of the members secured to oneanother in a final form which the generation program 108 analyzes todetermine the final position of the members, the interface areas of themembers, the positioning of the members, wherein this data is used tocreate an illustration of the assembly process. The dimensions are shownas visual indicators for the works to confirm that the assembled roofjoist matches the intended size. In the depicted embodiment, theanalyzed distances and position of the members is related to thecoordinates of the members in the model. These coordinates assist thegeneration program 108 in determining the assembly process of the roofjoist by.

FIG. 7 depicts a drawing of a disassembled roof joist, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention. The drawing shows the roofjoist from FIG. 6 in a disassembled form. This is to provide a clearillustration of each member, the type of member, the interface region ofthe member, and the bill of material of the members, fasteners, andcomponents The area of the members which overlaps with the other membersis shown and indicated on the member type if the member is an interioror exterior member of the interface Various notes or identifications ofspecific assembly steps may be shown or added into the drawing. The BOM504 is shown in the illustration to assist the workers as well. In thedisassembled roof joist, the overlap portions of the members areidentified and incorporated into the drawings, the fastener locationsare identified and incorporated into the drawings. The different membertypes have different visual features (e.g. dotted versus slashed) whichis based on the member being an “inner” member or an “outer” member. Theinner versus outer is related to the positioning of the members whenassembled. For example, members 702 and 705/701 fit within the channelof members 704 and 703.

FIGS. 6 and 7 depicted additional illustrations of a roof joist memberin an assembled and disassembled state, in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. The generation program 108 usesthese isolated models to further analyze the coordinates and interactionof the members, process the fastening locations, and extractinginformation associated with the assembly process. Through these modelsthe generation program 108 is able to generate the data set which isused to convert these models into the drawings which provide visuals onthe overlap of the members, the fastening locations, and thepositionings of the members to successfully build the roof joist.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Present invention: should not be taken as an absolute indication thatthe subject matter described by the term “present invention” is coveredby either the claims as they are filed, or by the claims that mayeventually issue after patent prosecution; while the term “presentinvention” is used to help the reader to get a general feel for whichdisclosures herein that are believed as maybe being new, thisunderstanding, as indicated by use of the term “present invention,” istentative and provisional and subject to change over the course ofpatent prosecution as relevant information is developed and as theclaims are potentially amended.

The foregoing descriptions of various embodiments have been presentedonly for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intendedto be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the formsdisclosed. Accordingly, many modifications and variations of the presentinvention are possible in light of the above teachings will be apparentto practitioners skilled in the art. Additionally, the above disclosureis not intended to limit the present invention. In the specification andclaims the term “comprising” shall be understood to have a broad meaningsimilar to the term “including” and will be understood to imply theinclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps butnot the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers orsteps. This definition also applies to variations on the term“comprising” such as “comprise” and “comprises”.

Although various representative embodiments of this invention have beendescribed above with a certain degree of particularity, those skilled inthe art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodimentswithout departing from the spirit or scope of the inventive subjectmatter set forth in the specification and claims. Joinder references(e.g. attached, adhered, joined) are to be construed broadly and mayinclude intermediate members between a connection of elements andrelative movement between elements. As such, joinder references do notnecessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixedrelation to each other. Moreover, network connection references are tobe construed broadly and may include intermediate members or devicesbetween network connections of elements. As such, network connectionreferences do not necessarily infer that two elements are in directcommunication with each other. In some instances, in methodologiesdirectly or indirectly set forth herein, various steps and operationsare described in one possible order of operation, but those skilled inthe art will recognize that steps and operations may be rearranged,replaced or eliminated without necessarily departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention. It is intended that all matter containedin the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes in detail orstructure may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventionas defined in the appended claims.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to theembodiments outlined above, various alternatives, modifications,variations, improvements and/or substantial equivalents, whether knownor that are or may be presently foreseen, may become apparent to thosehaving at least ordinary skill in the art. Listing the steps of a methodin a certain order does not constitute any limitation on the order ofthe steps of the method. Accordingly, the embodiments of the inventionset forth above are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Personsskilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form anddetail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Therefore, the invention is intended to embrace all known or earlierdeveloped alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements and/orsubstantial equivalent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer method for generating a set ofassembly illustrations for roof trusses, comprising: accessing, by atleast one processor, a model wherein the model frame includes at leastone roof truss assembly, wherein the at least one roof truss assembly isisolated; analyzing, by at least one processor, the roof truss assembly,wherein a set of members are identified which comprise the roof truss;accessing, by at least one processor, the set of members andindividually analyzing each member and coordinates and relationship toall interfacing members; transitioning, by at least one processor, theroof truss assembly from an assembled version to a disassembled state;analyzing, by at least one processor, the transition of the roof trussassembly to identify a set of steps from the transition; analyzing, byat least one processor, the set of steps to manipulate the roof trussassembly from the assembled version to the disassembled state, whereinan assembly process is generated; and generating, by at least oneprocessor, a images to be displayed on a display module representing thegenerated assembly process.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thetransition data of the roof truss assembly includes fasteners which areused to secure the members.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising, manipulating, by at least one processor, the members basedon an identified connection area.
 4. The method of claim 3, furthercomprising, modifying, by at least one processor, the roof trussassembly by incorporating a set of fasteners within the connection areaof each member.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising,associating, by at least one processor, an interface region of eachmember, wherein the interface region is associated with the interfacingof at least two members.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising,marking, by at least one processor, the interface region of each memberbased on the type of interface between the at least two members.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising, altering, by at least oneprocessor, the visual representation of the images, wherein thetransition data is represented in the images showing a chronologicalorder of transitioning the members from the disassembled state to theassembled version.
 8. A computer program product for generating a set ofassembly illustrations for roof trusses, comprising: one or morecomputer non-transitory readable storage media and program instructionsstored on the one or more computer non-transitory readable storagemedia, the program instructions comprising: program instructions toaccess a model wherein the model frame includes at least one roof trussassembly, wherein the at least one roof truss assembly is isolated;program instructions to analyze the roof truss assembly, wherein a setof members are identified which comprise the roof truss; programinstructions to access the set of members and individually analyzingeach member and coordinates and relationship to all interfacing members;program instructions to transition the roof truss assembly from anassembled version to a disassembled state; program instructions toanalyze the transition of the roof truss assembly to identify a set ofsteps from the transition; program instructions to analyze the set ofsteps to manipulate the roof truss assembly from the assembled versionto the disassembled state, wherein an assembly process is generated; andprogram instructions to generate a image to be displayed on a displaymodule representing the generated assembly process.
 9. The computerprogram product of claim 8, wherein the transition data of the rooftruss assembly includes fasteners which are used to secure the members.10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising, programinstructions to manipulate the members based on an identified connectionarea.
 11. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising,program instructions to modify the roof truss assembly by incorporatinga set of fasteners within the connection area of each member.
 12. Thecomputer program product of claim 8, further comprising, programinstructions to associate an interface region of each member, whereinthe interface region is associated with the interfacing of at least twomembers.
 13. The computer program product of claim 12, furthercomprising, program instructions to mark the interface region of eachmember based on the type of interface between the at least two members.14. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising, programinstructions to alter the visual representation of the images, whereinthe transition data is represented in the images showing a chronologicalorder of transitioning the members from the disassembled state to theassembled version.
 15. A system for generating a set of assemblyillustrations for roof trusses, comprising: one or more computernon-transitory readable storage media and program instructions stored onthe one or more computer non-transitory readable storage media, theprogram instructions comprising: program instructions to access a modelwherein the model frame includes at least one roof truss assembly,wherein the at least one roof truss assembly is isolated; programinstructions to analyze the roof truss assembly, wherein a set ofmembers are identified which comprise the roof truss; programinstructions to access the set of members and individually analyzingeach member and coordinates and relationship to all interfacing members;program instructions to transition the roof truss assembly from anassembled version to a disassembled state; program instructions toanalyze the transition of the roof truss assembly to identify a set ofsteps from the transition; program instructions to analyze the set ofsteps to manipulate the roof truss assembly from the assembled versionto the disassembled state, wherein an assembly process is generated; andprogram instructions to generate an image to be displayed on a displaymodule representing the generated assembly process.
 16. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the transition data of the roof truss assemblyincludes fasteners which are used to secure the members.
 17. The systemof claim 15, further comprising, program instructions to manipulate themembers based on an identified connection area.
 18. The system of claim18, further comprising, program instructions to modify the roof trussassembly by incorporating a set of fasteners within the connection areaof each member.
 19. The system of claim 15, further comprising, programinstructions to associate an interface region of each member, whereinthe interface region is associated with the interfacing of at least twomembers.
 20. The system of claim 19, further comprising, programinstructions to mark the interface region of each member based on thetype of interface between the at least two members.